Numerous animal litters are known in the prior art. Commonly, animal litters are based on absorbent clays. The simplest animal litters include solely absorbent clays; in other cases, additives, such as odor control agents, adhesives, and other materials are included. Because animal urine has a strong odor of ammonia, many efforts have been made to provide animal litters that absorb ammonia and that prevent ammonia odors from escaping, particularly when the litter is employed for use with household cats.
Numerous litters are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,868,802; 6,622,658; 6,405,677; 6,216,634; and 6,098,569, all assigned to Grain Processing Corporation of Muscatine, Iowa. These patents provide excellent teachings as to organic, biodegradable litters that, in preferred embodiments, are based exclusively on natural materials. The litters disclosed in these patents have excellent ammonia absorbing properties.
The present invention seeks to provide an animal litter that differs from the heretofore described litters.
The Invention
It has now been found that palm oil residues are useful as animal litters, alone or in combination with other ingredients. A number of palm oil residues are produced commercially in connection with the production of palm oil. These ingredients are typically used as feed products in the beef and dairy industries. It has now been observed that certain palm oil residues have an excellent ammonia control property, and are useable as animal litters or as an ingredient in animal litters.
In one embodiment, the invention comprises a method for removal of animal waste, the method included providing a litter that includes a palm oil residue, allowing an animal to excrete waste into a quantity of the litter, and removing at least a portion of litter that has been soiled. The removal of the litter that has been soiled may comprise separation of at least a portion of the soiled litter from litter that has not been soiled, or may comprise removal and disposal of some or all of the unsoiled litter.
In another embodiment, the invention provides an animal litter. An animal litter in accordance with the present invention includes a palm oil residue in combination with one or more other ingredients, such as a clay, whole ground grain, seed meal, virgin grain germ, spent grain germ, or other absorbent material. The litter may take the form of either a clumping formulation or a non-clumping formulation. A litter prepared in accordance with the present teaching has been observed to have excellent odor control properties. Moreover, when the palm oil residue is used in connection solely with other biodegradable materials, a litter prepared in accordance with the present invention is biodegradable, and hence flushable in a sewer or septic system.
Also encompassed by the invention is a process for preparing an animal litter. The process includes combining the ingredients of the litter, the ingredients including palm oil residue and at least one other absorbent material as discussed hereinabove.
Further details concerning the preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth hereinbelow and in the appended claims.